Luther Duncan

His work involved organizing demonstrations at schools and other agriculture-related venues to encourage youth and adults alike to adopt cutting-edge agricultural practices pioneered at API and other land-grant universities throughout the nation.

[2] Duncan also played a major role in educational efforts aimed at diversifying Alabama agriculture, promoting hog and poultry production in addition to raising cotton, peanuts and tomatoes.

Part of this involved developing a staff of specialists with statewide responsibilities and trained to provide agents in the field with up-to-date, research-based information from the land-grant university system.

Duncan also oversaw efforts to adopt new forms of technological delivery, including the purchase of a 1,000-watt radio station to broadcast educational information to the state's farm population.

He expected them not only to display a level of maturity "in order to secure and maintain the confidence and respect of farm people" but also to possess "unbounded energy, zeal, optimism, enthusiasm and persistency" — habits that should reflect "the very highest character".

In his defense, Duncan's actions reflected to a large degree those of the USDA, which had generally supported a close working relationship with Farm Bureau.

Nevertheless, Duncan drew harsh criticism from USDA for acquiescing to the publication of a circular that instructed Alabama Extension agents about how to recruit Farm Bureau members and to collect their dues.

[5] Duncan, who had developed a strong reputation for managing a statewide organization on a lean budget, was heavily favored by the state's business and professional interests to succeed Bradford Knapp as president of API.

Nevertheless, Duncan's past association with the Farm Bureau continued to draw withering criticism from Victor Hanson, an API trustee and Birmingham News publisher.

He also advocated a cooperative recruitment plan and the assignment of roles to Alabama and API so that would each could "render maximum service" in the areas it was best equipped to serve.

Ironically, as he entered the twilight of his career, Duncan, however unwittingly, went to the mat once again over Extension's longstanding relationship with the Alabama Farm Bureau.

He also is viewed by many as a visionary and reformer — an early and vocal proponent of equitable funding for Alabama higher education, though one who never hesitated to secure what he considered to be API's fair share.